The present invention relates generally to electronic musical instruments, automatic performance apparatus and other types of performance apparatus which read out performance data prestored with a plurality of performance parts associated with a plurality of tracks, and reproduce tones on the basis of the read-out performance data. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved performance control apparatus and method which, during reproduction of predetermined performance data, allows the currently-reproduced predetermined performance data to be shifted gradually to other performance data on a performance-part-by-performance-part basis, rather than simultaneously for all the performance parts.
Conventionally-known music performance apparatus, such as electronic musical instruments or automatic performance apparatus, are generally constructed to prestore a multiplicity of sets of performance data and then execute an automatic performance on the basis of a selected one of the prestored performance data sets. In response to an operation of a panel switch during automatic performance of given performance data, the performance apparatus can perform tones while successively changing or shifting the performance data to be automatically performed. In these music performance apparatus, a plurality of performance parts (such as drum, bass and chord-backing parts) of each performance data set are associated with, or set to correspond to, a plurality of predetermined tracks.
However, because the conventionally-known music performance apparatus, e.g., an apparatus as shown in U.S Pat. Nos. 4,763,554, 4,887,503 and 5,502,275, can only effect a shift from the currently-performed (reproduced) performance data to other performance data simultaneously or collectively for all the performance parts, the performance style would shift simultaneously in all the performance parts, which thus results in an unnatural performance change.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved performance control apparatus and method which, during performance of predetermined performance data, allow the currently-performed predetermined performance data to be shifted gradually to another performance data in response to a performance style shift instruction.
In order to accomplish the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a performance control apparatus which comprises: a memory storing sets of performance data for a plurality of performance parts, in association with a plurality of performance styles; an instruction generator adapted to issue a performance style shift instruction; and a processor coupled with the memory and the instruction generator and adapted to: read out, from the memory, the performance data corresponding to a desired one of the performance styles and reproduce performance tones of two or more of the performance parts on the basis of the read-out performance data; and control, in response to the instruction issued by the instruction generator for changing a currently-reproduced performance style to another performance style, the performance data of one or more of the performance parts of the currently-reproduced performance style so as to be replaced with the performance data of one or more of the performance parts of a shifted-to performance style through a plurality of stepwise shift phases. The processor thereby gradually replaces the performance parts of the currently-reproduced performance style with the performance parts of the shifted-to performance style.
A plurality of sets of performance data are prestored in the memory, each of which comprises data characterizing a music piece to be performed. By designating a desired one of the performance data sets, the music piece can be performed in a particular performance style based on the designated performance data. When a user wants the performance executed in a different performance style from that of the currently performed (reproduced) performance data, the user can give a performance style shift instruction via the instruction generator. The instruction generator in this invention comprises, for example, a suitable operator such that by operating the operator, the user can instruct that the currently reproduced performance data be changed over to other performance data (i.e., xe2x80x9cshifted-toxe2x80x9d performance data). Once such a performance style shift instruction is issued, the reproduction process is controlled so as to reproduce the performance data while sequentially effecting a shift from the currently-reproduced (i.e., xe2x80x9cshifted-fromxe2x80x9d) performance data to the shifted-to performance data on a performance-part-by-performance-part basis, rather than simultaneously or collectively for all the performance parts. The processor can read out, from the memory, the performance data of the shifted-from and shifted-to performance styles individually for each of the performance parts, and then simultaneously reproduce the read-out performance data of the shifted-from and shifted-to performance styles in a mixed fashion. Namely, whenever desired, the present invention allows the performance data to be gradually shifted, individually for each of the performance parts or on the performance-part-by-performance-part basis. The instruction generator may be implemented by any appropriate data generating means other than the manually-operable operator, such as instruction data that is incorporated in an automatic performance sequence and read out in accordance with progression of the automatic performance.
The present invention may be constructed and implemented not only as the apparatus invention as discussed above but also as a method invention. Also, the present invention may be arranged and implemented as a software program for execution by a processor such as a computer or DSP, as well as a storage medium storing such a program. Further, the present invention may be implemented as a machine-readable storage medium storing performance data based on the principles of the invention. Furthermore, the processor used in the present invention may comprise a dedicated processor based on predetermined fixed hardware circuitry, rather than a CPU or other general-purpose type processor capable of operating by software.